Hammer on Anvil '

Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body (1 Corinthians 6:19,20).

I have been humbled by this wonderful Scripture more times than I can count. I have embraced it as wisdom for myself, and have used it to counsel brothers and sisters in Christ.

When you get to be my age, you have gleaned some wisdom -- not solely from God, but simply by virtue of the fact that life has battered and bruised you for decades. I am always honored when a younger person comes to me for mentoring, eager to learn and to grow in their walk with God. They seem to understand that dynamic about wisdom and age.
 
At other times, though, when I have confronted a brother or sister who was behaving in a less-than-Christlike manner, I was accused of being judgmental. I can't tell you how many times I have heard that verse ripped out of context because someone was prideful and defensive about being called on the carpet about their behavior. 

Remember, dear brothers and sisters, that we are all accountable to each other. We are part of the Body of Christ, and are to exhort and encourage one another to be true to the faith. Sometimes that requires loving confrontation.

It's not about whether we are right or wrong. It's about whether we are honoring GOD in all we do. It's about remembering that we are not our own. Yes, we live in a country where freedom of speech is touted. And yes, we are free in Christ. But Paul exhorts us to not use that freedom to do what we please:

For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don't use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13).

Are you free to post whatever you want on Facebook, regardless of how crude and/or offensive it may be? Are you free to smoke weed or get drunk or overeat? Are you free to walk out on your spouse because you simply don't want to invest the time and effort it takes to save your marriage? Are you free to be in debt up to your eyeballs because materialism has become an idol?

The answer to all these questions is yes -- if you don't know Christ. Jesus says if anyone would come after Him, they must deny themselves, take up their cross, and follow Him. And the wonderful admonition in Philippians urges us to consider others better than ourselves (2:3). That means choosing not to post something on Facebook that could make another stumble. It means going to God to fulfill your needs, rather than self-medicating with marijuana or alcohol or food. It means cleaving to your spouse and exhausting every possible opportunity to save your marriage. It means being a good steward of your finances rather than spending irresponsibly.

Jesus left His throne in heaven to come walk among us. He was vilified, hated, and ultimately crucified so that we could be reconciled to God. If He can make a sacrifice that immense, should we not be willing to at least set aside our personal "freedoms" if they cause others to question our faith? If the fruit you bear does not bring glory to God, it's time to do some pruning.

A recent Lenten reading from Reliving the Passion was my inspiration for today's blog. To say it gave me food for thought is an understatement.

The reading was about when Jesus stood before the high priest Caiaphas, after Judas had betrayed Him. Caiaphas demanded to know if Jesus thought He was truly the Son of God -- the Messiah. And finally Jesus answers quietly, "I am. And you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power and coming with the clouds of heaven" (Mark 14:61-62). At this Caiaphas becomes dramatically indignant, tears his robes and accuses Jesus of blasphemy.

Walter Wangerin, the author of Reliving the Passion, focuses on an aspect of this scene that I had honestly never thought about. He wonders at how Jesus picks this time (of all times!) to publicly declare that He is the Messiah. "From the beginning of His ministry, Jesus charged those who experienced His power to say nothing about it."

True enough. The following are examples of Jesus telling people to be quiet about His identity:

• And whenever the unclean spirits saw Him, they fell down before Him and cried out, “You are the Son of God.” And He strictly ordered them not to make Him known (Mark 3:11-12).
• And they brought to Him a man who was deaf and had a speech impediment, and they begged Him to lay His hand on him. And taking him aside from the crowd privately, He put His fingers into his ears, and after spitting touched his tongue. And looking up to heaven, He sighed and said to him, “Ephphatha,” that is, “Be opened.” And his ears were opened, his tongue was released, and he spoke plainly. And Jesus charged them to tell no one (Mark 7:32-36). 
•  And all were weeping and mourning for her, but He said, “Do not weep, for she is not dead but sleeping.” And they laughed at Him, knowing that she was dead. But taking her by the hand He called, saying, “Child, arise.” And her spirit returned, and she got up at once. And He directed that something should be given her to eat. And her parents were amazed, but He charged them to tell no one what had happened (Luke 8:52-56). 

In other words, says Wangerin, 

When He was at the height of His ministry (as the world assesses height, as the world assesses greatness), He demanded that no one say He was the "Christ." When He was dazzling crowds, confuting enemies, causing shepherds and lepers and kings to ask, "Who is this man?"; when masses were "astonished beyond measure, saying, 'He has done all things well, the deaf to hear, the dumb to speak!"; even when Simon Peter explicitly confessed, "You are the Christ" -- Jesus commanded them "to tell no one about Him." Apparently none of this was the real work of the "Christ."

This is the part that got me:

The world might have expected a warrior-king, someone triumphant in its own terms. A winner, you know. A number-one, against-all-odds, pride-inspiring, tear-in-my-eye, flat-out, all-round, good-guy winner! A hero. Only when that characterization is rendered absurd and impossible does Jesus finally accept the title "Christ."

Only when all human ideals of who Jesus should be are hopelessly abandoned does Jesus claim, "I am." Not when He is being surrounded by crowds and everyone is oohing and aahing about His miracles, but when He is standing before Caiaphas. Beaten, stripped naked, and in chains.

My dear friends, we must remember that Jesus came not as a militant, in-your-face hero. He came to die. And He didn't come to die so that you could live in the lap of luxury and claim that He wants you to be rich. He is our example, and we are to follow in His footsteps. That's why Jesus says in Luke 9:23 that if anyone wants to come after Him, they must deny themselves, take up their crosses and follow Him. We are to be identified with Him in His death if we hope to be united with Him in resurrection (Romans 6:5).

Proponents of the prosperity gospel are way off base, my friends. Don't believe their lies and get sucked into that abominable mind-set that Christians should have an abundance of material wealth. Search the Scriptures for yourself, and ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth.

In this holy season of Lent, may we all remember this:

Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though He was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, He humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross (Philippians 2:5-8).

Let us pick up our cross and follow Him.